


Two Gentle Souls

by Haberdasher



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Aziraphale's Bookshop (Good Omens), Comforting Aziraphale (Good Omens), Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Gen, London, Post-Narnia, Post-War, Post-World War II, The Blitz, The Problem of Susan, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 15:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21163730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haberdasher/pseuds/Haberdasher
Summary: Not long after the end of WWII, Aziraphale meets another gentle soul who knows war and loss too well.





	Two Gentle Souls

The war had just ended, and much of England was still rebuilding, but Aziraphale’s bookshop, miraculously spared from all the bombings both metaphorically and literally, was in the same shape it had been for over a century now. There had been a slight but definite uptick in customers entering his shop as of late, something to do with more people having the extra money to spend on books these days (and perhaps with some of his competition not having been spared from the worst of the Blitz), and as he heard the door open and a young woman walk in, Aziraphale frowned slightly, less than pleased with having to wrangle another potential book-buyer.

After taking another look, though, the frown on Aziraphale’s face faded away.

What some people might have noticed about the woman who had just entered the bookshop was that her lipstick was bright red and her jewelry was flashy and her skirt was cut just short enough to be mildly scandalous.

What Aziraphale noticed about her was that she looked gentle, gentle and sad, a combination that was all too common these days, when many families had lost loved ones to the war. She was young, not more than twenty by the looks of her, and her makeup was visibly marred by the stains of dried tear tracks.

“What can I do for you?” Aziraphale asked, largely because it was The Thing To Say when a customer entered, but partly because he was genuinely curious about this young woman, about her story, about what had brought her into his bookshop.

“Are you the owner here? I’m afraid I probably won’t be buying anything from you-”

Aziraphale got the sense that the young woman had meant the words as a kind of apology, but to him they were closer to a reassurance, one that brought a slight smile to his face.

“-but I just need somewhere quiet to sit and think for a while--if that’s alright with you, that is.”

“Oh, certainly. Take as long as you need.”

Aziraphale hadn’t asked for an explanation, but the young woman offered one up anyway. “My life has just been... awfully tricky these days, and I could use some peace and quiet--it’s funny, isn’t it, how complicated things can get sometimes, all in the blink of an eye?”

Aziraphale thought of a certain demon, one who had tread upon consecrated ground for his sake, who had kept some of his most precious books safe when they had been in grave danger.

Aziraphale thought of that same demon, several decades back, handing him a note asking for the one thing in the world that could utterly obliterate him.

The angel nodded solemnly. “I understand completely.”

“You do?” The young woman gave Aziraphale a weak smile. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“Absolutely. Though if you’re going to be in here for much longer, I would like one thing from you...”

Aziraphale decidedly did not care for the expression that passed upon the young woman’s face as he spoke those words, and he hastened to clear up any possible misunderstanding.

“Your name, that is. What’s your name, young lady?”

“Oh, that’s all, then.” She laughed a little. It was a nice laugh, soft and gentle, much like her. “It’s Susan. Susan Pevensie.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, consider following me on tumblr at [haberdashing](https://haberdashing.tumblr.com/)!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Will We Pinch At Our Skin And Wonder How We Escaped Harm?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22059892) by [ouiser_boudreaux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ouiser_boudreaux/pseuds/ouiser_boudreaux)


End file.
